Stand-up comedian Tushar Singh takes his raunchy jokes to India, where the emotional baggage and cultural confusion of his childhood punctuate a month-long comedy tour.

SYNOPSIS

American Hasi [working title] follows stand-up comedian Tushar Singh as he embarks on a month-long comedy tour across India, hoping to gain both a clearer sense of cultural identity and new material without overtly offending audiences. Growing up in the American Deep South with a traditional Indian upbringing left Tushar with a turbid sense of self and an arsenal of stand-up material. This documentary explores how comedy is often used as a tool for self-exploration and personal growth.

ARTISTIC STATEMENT

Director Laura Asherman believes that some of the most compelling stories emerge from helping people examine their internal struggles, ones they are often reluctant to share. She became fascinated with Tushar’s dichotomous sense of cultural identity after seeing him perform stand-up comedy in Atlanta, Georgia.

KEY CREW

Laura Asherman - Director

Laura is a documentary filmmaker based out of Atlanta, Georgia. She believes that some of the most compelling stories emerge from helping people examine their internal struggles, ones they are often reluctant to share. She became fascinated with Tushar’s dichotomous sense of cultural identity after seeing him perform stand-up comedy in Atlanta, Georgia.

In 2013 Laura directed and edited her first documentary feature, Maramaso, in Nairobi, Kenya leading up to and shortly after the hotly contested 2013 presidential elections. The film follows a young musician and peace activist as he struggles to have his message heard in order to prevent the same tribal violence that plagued the 2007 presidential elections. Maramaso is an official selection of the FilmAid International Film Festival.

Tushar Singh - Producer

Tushar coined the term "depressingh" to describe his comedy. While by day, Tushar works a 9-5 office job, for the past seven years Tushar's nights have been consumed with a constant search for meaning through his stand-up comedy.

His cultural identity struggle was sparked by a traditional Indian family upbringing in the Bible Belt buckle of Alabama. Many of these points of confusion can we traced back to Tushar’s father, who held his conservative cultural values closely in the hope of passing them on from generation to generation. Tushar hopes that the American Hasi comedy tour in India will help him piece together his identity and dual cultures.

Jamey McDaniel - Sound Designer

Jamey is an Atlanta-based musician and photographer. He plays guitar in multiple bands and manages The Laughing Skull Lounge comedy club in Midtown Atlanta, where he first got to know Tushar when the club opened in 2009. Prior to relocating to Atlanta in 2005, he studied audio engineering at MTSU and SAE Nashville, a skill he now freelances with, often to make comedy albums.

Alexandra Kayhart - Associate Producer

Allie is a producer and storyteller. She became interested in film when she was a little girl and realized there was a movie version of Charlotte’s Web, her required reading for third grade. Since graduating from Emory University, Allie has contributed to a range of projects from small independent films to TV shows, such as the Emmy award-winning Folklorist and larger scale films such as Fox Search Light’s Stoker starring Nicole Kidman. She is currently living in New York City where she is pursuing her own stand-up comedy career and working in the film industry.

Court Sullivan - Producer

Court is the founder and editor of Points in Case, an online comedy publication. He has worked closely with hundreds of writers over the last 14 years to produce over 15,000 original articles. Court's stage fright has long fueled a healthy obsession with the behind-the-scenes production of stand-up comedy.

Nitesh Sapra - Producer

Nitesh is a partner with NitNeil Partners, an Atlanta-based real estate development company. He spends much of his professional time traveling and seeking out new investment opportunities. He has also embarked on a new creative journey in film, his other passion. As a fellow confused Indian-American from Alabama, Nitesh hopes to learn from Tushar's experience.

Neil Sapra - Producer

Neil Sapra is also a partner with NitNeil Partners. His passion and skillset for "creation" paired with his "Desi" upbringing in Alabama compelled him to take an active role in American Hasi. Neil is currently on the Board of the Atlanta Chapter of Entrepreneur’s Organization and holds an MBA from Emory University and a Bachelor of Engineering from Vanderbilt University.